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The humble toilet is a standard installation in our homes, but it might not be helping us have the healthiest bowels we can, according to an author who is an expert in bowel movements.

In fact, we should ditch the throne and squat down to defecate, according to Giulia Enders.

Currently studying for her doctorate in microbiology in Frankfurt, Giulia's debut book, Darm mit Charme, which translates as Charming Bowels, has sold 200,000 copies in her native Germany, and people are gripped by her descriptions -and diagrams - of how we should be pooing.

Poo facts: Guilia Enders has appeared in many major talk shows talking about how best to defecate (Photo: Nasa/Getty)

Various studies have been carried out, apparently, showing that we can simply poo more efficiently if we squat.

Sitting, rather than crouching while doing your business unnecessarily prolongs the process and may explain why haemorrhoids and bowel diseases like diverticulitis are more common in Europe than in Asia.

Apparently the closure mechanism of the gut is like a kinked house - it's not designed to “open the hatch completely” when we're sitting or standing.

Squatting, like they do in toilets in the Far East, is a more natural position and puts less pressure on our bottoms.

Enders said: "1.2 billion people around the world who squat have almost no incidence of diverticulosis and fewer problems with piles.

"We in the west, on the other hand, squeeze our gut tissue until it comes out of our bottoms.”

Poo school: Giulia Enders says we're going to have to relearn how to poo (Photo: PA)

Putting our feet on a small stool while we're on the loo could help, but the bottom line is - we're going to have to relearn how to poo.

Dr Ayesha Akbar, consultant gastroenterologist at St Mark’s Hospital in London, said: “There is an increasing interest in the gut microbiota and health and disease. There is a huge number of gut bacteria which, in health, maintain a balance.

"However, an imbalance has been linked to many chronic disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and obesity. There is a suggestion that they may also be linked to psychiatric disorders and mood, with the majority of evidence coming from animal studies.

Five top tips for a happy gut

If you want your bottom to thank you, try pooing in the strain-sparing evacuation position called “the rocking squat” - literally crouching and then gently rocking on bent knees. No more haemorrhoids and digestive diseases like diverticulitis.

If you're worried about your poo, check out the Bristol Stool Scale, which ranks poo on a seven-point scale, from “hard to pass lumps” to “entirely liquid,” since 1997.